A £100 million campaign to encourage young people to drink more responsibly is being launched.

The Campaign for Smarter Drinking will run for five years and see its slogan “why let good times go bad?” feature on beermats, advertising hoardings and signs in pubs, bars and off-licences.

Campaign to encourage young people to drink more responsibly is being launched

Shepherd-Neame brewery chief executive Jonathan Neame is backing the campaign which is launched with a full-page advertisement in The Times newspaper.

He said: “For years people have asked what needs to be done to encourage a responsible drinking culture in Britain and reduce alcohol misuse among young adults.

“This initiative is part of the answer and the drinks industry is in a unique position to deliver such a shift in our culture. In the end, we can only achieve change if people take responsibility for their own behaviour and this campaign will help them make informed choices.”

Among the firms backing the campaign are brewers including Fuller’s, Thwaites and Brains and supermarkets chains Tesco, Spar and Asda.

Health Secretary Andy Burnham said the country faced a growing public health problem caused by people drinking too much.

He added: “Clearly the industry has a responsibility to play their part in tackling this problem and I hope this campaign will make a real difference to people’s attitudes to drunkenness and their drinking behaviour.”

Commander Simon O’Brien from the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) said there needed to be a culture change in attitudes to binge drinking.

He said: “This campaign has our support as it asks people to think about their own behaviour, to drink sensibly, and to enjoy their time socialising.”